High pressure regulators are used to regulate the pressure of a compressed gas to a working pressure suitable for, e.g., paintball markers. A typical pressure regulator in the form of a piston pressure regulator is known e.g. from U.S. Pat. No. 6,543,475, which is incorporated hereby by reference thereto in its entirety. Piston pressure regulators are characterized by the fact that the pressure is regulated by means of a spring-loaded piston. A Belleville disk spring used for this purpose can usually be regulated via a screw thread (a regulator spring). The piston is sealed against the cylinder wall with at least one elastomer O-ring. Due to its thickness in combination with the O-ring, piston pressure regulators can achieve a higher working pressure than diaphragm pressure regulators.
In compressed gas weapons known from the prior art, in particular paintball markers operating with only one pressure regulator, the entire operating process to trigger the firing of a shot is dependent on the pressure set at the regulator in order to accelerate the projectile to the desired velocity. If this pressure must be regulated across a broad range, malfunctions may occur.
In order to eliminate any such malfunctions, two regulators are used in some paintball markers; the pressure for the proper functioning of the compressed gas weapon (working pressure) and the pressure for the acceleration of the projectile (chamber pressure) are separately regulated in such a system. Thus the inlet pressure of ca. 450-950 psi in the front regulator, which is usually located in front of the trigger of the compressed gas weapon and simultaneously serves as a foregrip, is first regulated to the pressure of ca. 100-230 psi needed to accelerate the projectile. In a second step, a portion of this gas is conducted away to a second regulator, which is located either as an attachment beneath the barrel or inside the compressed gas weapon, and which regulates the working pressure down to ca. 50-100 psi.
The drawbacks of using a second regulator are the increased space demanded by such an installation and the greater weight of the compressed gas weapon. The installation of the second regulator beneath the barrel obstructs the user's grasp of the weapon and negatively affects its handling. If the second regulator is installed within the housing of the compressed gas weapon, the size of the housing is increased and the weapon made more unwieldy.